A lesser known wine, this is slowly gaining ground in imports to the U.S. Montepulciano is the grape (not to be confused with the town and wine with the same moniker). This is one of the more expensive versions, and probably the best MdA’s I’ve had. It was black-purple in color with smells reminiscent of tar, black licorice, cherry, and ripe blackberry. It was full in the mouth, and possessed pretty big, soft tannins enveloping a core of ripe blackberry jam and minerals. This was a very “manly” wine—full of earthy notes and black fruit. I liked this a lot. It would go great with pizza with meat and mushrooms on top.

My score: 90
WE: 90 $30